Pirate Revenge
by Khellendrosiic
Summary: A group of new fighters join the Third Super Smash Brothers Tournament. All is going well but a sinister plot to strike down an original Smashers lurks in the background.
1. The Beginning

Disclaimer: Balsk and Granash belong to me. The other original characters belong to those who submitted them and I have permission to use them for this story. Bleh!

"Approaching Earth orbit now, sir." growled out the pilot.

"Temporal distortion cloaking device heat in the yellow and holding stable, sir." said a second voice.

"Good." replied the captain. His command chair creaked as he leaned back into it but the sound was lost amidst the constant humming of the many computer banks and the low mutterings of the bridge crew.

"Are our guests prepped and ready for departure?" asked the captain as he turned to his second-in-command.

"They are ready, Captain." said the captain's second but his insectoid face showed worry, "A few of them gave us trouble when we awoke them from stasis. However, the situation has been explained and most of them have settled down."

"Most of them?" queried the captain, as he lifted an eye ridge.

"Uhh..." The officer looked nervous, "Several of our men were killed but overall casualties were minimal. Three regular and two shadow pirates are dead and several more are wounded."

"Which of our guests did this?"

"According to the reports of the surviving personal it was the two females classified as vampires and the large human known as Slywolf."

"Are they detained?"

"Slywolf is being held by Elite Pirate's 1562 and 1234. One vampire is currently incapacitated and the second has turned into mist and escaped. The guest rooms have been sealed to prevent her escape."

"Is Granash down there?"

"Yes sir."

"Have him take care of the problem and while you're doing that inform Arack that his team should be in position. Operation Predator is in effect and his reinforcements will be in their assigned places. Tell him all that."

"Yes sir!" said the officer as he saluted.

Captain Durg watched him leave and then looked out the viewscreen to see Earth. His palms itched to slap the fire button rerouted to his command chair. The huge orbital defense satellites that protected Earth from all outside invaders loomed on each side of the space pirate frigate as whales would to a dolphin.

"To be so close to our ultimate goal, yet unable to do a thing. The ultimate checkmate," he muttered to himself, "Damn you human and that damned poker game on Trisbar V!"

Durg slammed his fist down on his chair and the nearest ensign flinched and worked even faster. Being feared isn't such a bad thing after all.

"But everything will work out. I have every contingency planned for this time." said Durg, "Mwahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!"

The ensign that had flinched when Durg punched his chair slowed down his furious typing and shook his head at the incompetence of higher-ups. Every time Durg did that everything-is-going-according-to-plan laugh something happened to screw things up. What did High Command see in him?

"Damn it let go of me!" shouted the struggling human from in between the two massive Elite Pirates. The Elite Pirates were gigantic humanoids, standing at over ten feet in height and usually bristling with weaponry. Currently the two pirates were holding a very pissed off Slywolf from leaping up and tearing the smaller pirates to pieces. Standing in front of him was a black haired human trying vainly to calm him down. The remaining seven people were sitting or standing around a bunch of chairs that were set in one wall. They were surrounded by twenty other space pirates, some of them the elite Power Troopers. A single space pirate stepped forward, he was unusual in the respect that he carried himself with an air of arrogance and power. Also, he had actual hands instead of the pincers that the pirate warrior caste had, although they were three-fingered, unlike the four-fingered technician caste. The new pirate surveyed the fighters and turned to a figure standing off to the side. A large, winged lizard man stood, staring out of the window at Earth. It turned as if it felt the pirate looking at it.

"Balsk." said the pirate as it nodded.

"Granash." replied Balsk. He covertly pointed at a corner of the ceiling and Granash pulled a grenade from his belt. Without looking at the point that Balsk indicated, Granash tossed the grenade at the ceiling. A loud popping sound followed by a whoosh of indrawn air followed the throw. The grenade was hovering in midair and sucking in the air near it. A tendril of mist was pulled into the vortex and soon the grenade shut off. It tumbled to the ground as the ships air processors worked overtime to get the supply of oxygen in this section of the ship back to normal levels. Slywolf and his friend had stopped to watch as Granash walked forward and picked up the grenade. He tossed it up into the air and caught it with a flourish.

"If you wish to live, little Arielle, then you would best be on your best behavior when I release you from this grenade. Got it?" needless to say, the grenade didn't respond but Granash popped the seal on it and a cloud of mist came shooting out. The mist condensed into a young looking, fairly tall girl with short, curly brown hair. She scowled at Granash and brushed off her dull red coat as if just being near him made her dirty. She shot him another evil glance and went to sit down in one of the chairs. Granash made a noise that sounded almost like a laugh and tucked the grenade back into a pouch on his belt. He then turned to face the two Elite Pirates.

"You can let him go now. I doubt he's anything I can't handle." said the pirate with a little smirk.

Slywolf looked as though he would like to pound Granash's head in for that remark but wisely did nothing as the massive pirates stepped back. The dark haired human patted Slywolf on the back but he shook off the hand and went to sit in a chair. Granash made a gesture and the other pirates stomped, sneaked, and walked out of the room.

"Do you mind telling us what the hell is going on here?" asked a short, male human with blond hair.

"Yes. Actually I do mind..." Granash checked a small computer on his wrist, "Kane, age 16, species human."

"Uhhh..." Kane seemed startled at Granash's knowledge of him, "Yeah. That's right."

"I see. Before we continue, I suspect that we should at least get to know you we all are." said Granash.

"Why Granash." said Balsk sarcastically, "I've never known you to be so understanding to other people's ignorance."

"A lot has changed since we last met, _old friend_." said Granash as his eyes started to glow blue with a hint of a space pirate's battle rage.

"Hey! Now wait a second here!" snapped Slywolf's friend, "Don't you guys start talking about stuff that has no holding here! Lets just get this over with."

Granash looked away from Balsk and tried to stare down the human. Almost half a minute passed while they glared at each other. Finally, Granash looked down at his wrist computer and the human gave a small grin.

"Ah. You must be the human known as DarkMagnus. From the world of Eternia I believe." said Granash and DarkMagnus nodded.

"Since the lot of you would rather sit around and sulk, I guess I'll have to introduce the lot of you." Granash sighed and move the wrist comp closer to his face.

Granash first pointed at Kane. "We already know that he his Kane," he pointed at DarkMagnus, "He is DarkMagnus," Granash pointed at the vampire that was trapped in the grenade, "And that she is Arielle."

Granash went around and intoduced the lot of them, taking care to only give their names. First, there was Slywolf, the big, brawny, blond compatriot of DarkMagnus. He had a pair of short fangs that showed signs of inhuman parentage. Next was DarkMagnus himself: A fair height, human all the way with black hair that hung over his left eye and piercing blue eyes. His most distinguishing features were the two gems embedded in his hands. One gem was black and the other was white. The human named Yuki was next. She was about average height for a female human and had gray hair and gray eyes. She was thin and wiry and looked fairly strong.

Shigure Igarashi was next. He was the most laid back of the assembled motley, and watched things with slightly interested brown eyes. It was impossible to tell how tall he was because he was sprawled out on his chair as though he was at home watching a football game. He had long brown hair done back in a braid and looked very Native American-ish. The human named Ryu Caliber was next. He had reddish hair and blue eyes. He looked at little nervous, but then again, who wouldn't in such a situation? Rune Cloudwanderer was next. He sat apart from the main group and just looked at everyone tiredly when his name was called. He had odd orange colored hair and greenish blue eyes. He was sitting on the ground with his cloak tucked underneath him.

Next was the odd specimen of Jurich Dragmire. He looked very similar to Gannondorf, but better looking over all, with long red hair and purple eyes. Lendiseth Kalt-Anion was the second vampire of the group. She had pointed ears that suggested elven heritage with long blond hair that had black streaks in it. Her eyes were blue-green and she was effectively the largest breasted among the other women/girls. She had a large knot on her head from where an Elite Pirate had punched her but seemed well on her way to recovery. Finally, was the hyper Ayad El Flamenco. He had short, slicked back black hair and a mustache and beard that looked like they were modeled from Dictator's Monthly. He was sitting in a chair and was very jittery, as if he couldn't wait for something to happen.

The only, blatantly, non-humans there were Balsk and Granash. Balsk was a very tall winged lizard man covered in dull bronze scales. The lower half of his thick tail was mechanical and the way he kept glaring at Granash hinted that the space pirate might have played some role in his wounding. The most erie thing about him was his glowing red eyes. Then there was Granash himself. Complete with the insect/crustacion features of a space pirate he had thick, three-fingered hands. He moved with agile quickness, so he must not be as clumsy as his brethren. Introductions complete, Granash changed topics to why everyone was here in the first place. It all went over fairly quickly.

It was explained to the assembled fighters that they had been gathered from whatever day, age, dimension they hailed from to compete in a tournament. At the tournament they would meet like-minded individuals that were participating. This tournament was the third that had ever been held and everyone gathered here was going to be the new blood. The prize would be anything they wished that would be feasible for the tournaments host to acquire. A few grew very misty eyed at this proclamation as they thought about what they would go for.

"We will be landing in a few minutes." said Granash after he had finished with his explanation, "Follow me and we will head to collect your weapons and then to the shuttle bay."

Granash walked over to a door in the bulkhead and pressed several buttons and submitted his eye for a retinal scan. The door hissed open and Granash motioned for the others to follow before he stepped inside. Balsk and DarkMagnus were the first ones through the door and looked at each other in amusement. Inside the door was an armory. On one wall were weapons for the smaller pirates, energy blasters and wrist scythes. The other wall had mounts for where heavier weapons would go, such as the artillery cannon of an Elite Pirate. Granash was busy helping himself to various weapons but it was obvious that someone had been in her before them. Many of the anti-personal weapons were already missing and the all of the heavy weapons. On the back wall were almost a dozen boxes, each with a different name on them.

Balsk ripped the top of his box and withdrew an odd looking long sword. It appeared to be two regular long swords fused together with a slight gap in between the two. Balsk withdrew a beaten sheath and buckled it on. His sword followed it a second later. DarkMagnus opened his box and pulled out his own sword. It is a thick, sturdy looking broad sword with a fire blackened hilt and lava designs etched into the blade. As it was lifted out of the box the lava started to move through the blade. A large, jet-black orb sat in the middle of the silver set into the hilt. It glowed slightly as DarkMagnus grabbed it and walked out the door with Balsk and Granash.

Yuki claimed her katana and a small pouch. Slywolf pulled a veritable armory out of the box marked with his name. When he was done putting his weapons in various places he was literally covered with throwing knives and small bombs. Two larger knives were hanging from his belt. He left the room with a very satisfied look on his face. Kane got a pair of simple but very serviceable daggers from his box and pulled out an iron spear and some brass knuckles from his. Arielle withdrew a short bow and quiver and a long dagger. Ryu drew out a long sword and Rune took out a spell book and a light mace. Lendiseth took out a pair of pistols and a dagger. And finally, Ayad claimed his pistols and twirled them around before slipping them into their holsters. Jurich had no box, he just looked at the gem on his necklace and walked out of the room.

With everyone armed and ready Granash led the way to the shuttle bay. Along the way, the new fighters passed by several space pirate workers, who stared at them, open-mouthed, while they walked past. The shuttle bay was soon reached and they boarded the craft that was waiting for them. Across the bay was a second shuttle that was being filled with space pirates in full combat gear. The second ship took off first and a short while later the shuttle which held the fighters leaped out of the ship and glided down to the Coliseum, which they happened to be floating directly over.

Well. There's the first chapter. Hope you enjoyed it folks. If you have any question, comments, or suggestions don't hesitate to e-mail or review me.


	2. The Prize

Disclaimer: Balsk and Granash belong to me. The other original characters belong to those who submitted them and I have permission to use them for this story. Bleh!

"Hello everyone and welcome to the Third Super Smash Brothers Tournament!" shouted out the announcer over the coliseum's loud speakers. A massive roar greeted this welcome as the assembled fans cheered. Almost every conceivable race and species was there. From a small clutch of Chozo in the front row to the massive amounts of goombas and koopas scattered all around the stands. The Smash Coliseum was a gigantic structure, easily capable of holding up to fifty thousand people at once, slightly less if some of the crowd was exceptionally large.

"Let's give a round of applause to our returning two time champion, Mario Mario!" said the announcer as Mario walked out of one of the two tunnels leading onto the coliseum floor. The crowd roared once again as Mario walked to the center of the circular platform and started to say a few words.

The host of the Third Smash Tournament reached over and flicked a switch that cut in the room's white noise generator. He didn't need to hear Mario's speech, Mario had submitted it to him in writing just the day before and he had approved it. He swiveled his chair around to face his desk and adjusted his name plate on the front of his desk. It read Khell, and that indeed was his name. Khell persisted in wearing a plain T-shirt and jeans to his office even though Sherry, his secretary, quietly disapproved. Khell brushed his spiky blue hair back and wondered how the entrance of the new Smashers was going to go over. He had spent quite a bit of personal and political clout to get this to work and he hoped a few hotheads wouldn't jeopardize everything.

Khell turned back to his wide window and flicked the sound back on. Mario was finishing his little speech and the other Smashers were arrayed behind him. There were slightly less then last tournament but that was no worry. Jigglypuff had done so badly last time that she had simply upped and left without a backward glance, although all the scribbles over everyone's faces when they woke up certainly showed how displeased she was. Pichu would have continued on but he evolved into Pikachu sometime between this tournament and the last and couldn't come back. Dr. Mario had quit fighting and was sticking around as the Coliseum's physician. Mr. Game & Watch had retired but was also staying around, mostly from lacking anywhere to go. He had promised to update the new guys on the various rules and what not and be there to provide any information that might be needed.

As Mario finished, a shadow fell over the coliseum. Khell looked up and saw the giant insect-like shape of the Space Pirate frigate, _Durnok's Bane_. It took a second for what was happening to fully sink into the minds of the crowd, but when it did they started screaming and panicking to get out. The announcer began shouting out that there was no need to panic, that this was a controlled operation and that nothing bad was going to happen. Some people listened and returned to their seats but most still ran to the exits that Khell has wisely locked and barred. As the two shuttle craft departed from the frigate the crowd had begun to calm down somewhat. They couldn't get out so they might as well sit back and see what the hell was going on.

The first shuttle that launched headed for the landing pad outside of the coliseum and Khell gave a little grimace. He had offered that the Space Pirates contribute somewhat to the fan base but at the time the Space Pirate hadn't taken him seriously. This might cause some complications. While Khell was reminiscing on past hasty decisions, the second shuttle had landed on the arena, right in front of Mario. Although the veteran Smashers had been alerted to this earlier they were still a little agitated. The worst of the bunch was of course, Samus. But then again she had an excuse, Space Pirates had killed her family after all. The shuttle landed and a section of the hull lowered itself to the ground so as to form a walkway.

The new Smashers came out one by one and were introduced to the intrigued fans as they exited. Granash was the last to leave and he motioned to the pilot before stepping out. As soon as its charges were away the small craft withdrew its landing gear and leaped into the air, followed shortly by the second shuttle. The crowd finally decided to cheer again and did so with great gusto. The new Smashers were lead into the main complex (For Fighters Only) and the announcer was beginning to announce the first matches. They had been decided well in advance and the first few fights included none of the newbies so they could have some time to get used to their surroundings. As the first match started, Pikachu vs. Peach, Khell leaned back in his chair and permitted himself a self satisfied smirk. He had seen the way that Balsk looked directly at him through the window and the crowd and was glad that his scheming snagged just the draconian he had wanted.

(scene shift)

The large group of Space Pirates moved across the parking lot with the unstoppable intensity of a tidal wave. There was fifty of them total, not including the two Elite Pirates that thudded along behind. Their leader indicated the entrance they would use, a back door, obviously intended for large loads. It was guarded by a frightened looking human in a black and red uniform. The pirates stopped a few feet away and their leader stepped to the front.

"We are here for the Tournament." Said Arack, leader of the Space Pirate ground forces, to the human, "We have a special invitation from Khell himself."

"Umm...Ah...Ok...I n-need you to t-turn in your w-weapons." Stuttered the guard.

Arack sized up the guard and turned toward his four Tempest soldiers. Physically imposing, a Tempest is usually half again the size of a normal Space Pirate and half again as intelligent. The four were equipped with heavy, extended range, repeating plasma rifles, a concussion missile launcher, an energy sword, and a limited cloaking charge. They were a fearsome sight to behold and even worse to fight. Only these four and another ten Tempest's currently existed in the Space Pirate armed forces. Their small numbers were due to their insanely expensive equipment and their long and extensive training. A single Tempest is generally the equivalent of five fully manned pirate squads, which were about ten apiece.

Arack muttered something in the growling language that was native to the Space Pirate's to the Tempest's, which caused them no great deal of amusement. The other pirates began laughing as well, but the two Elite Pirate just sat there like a pair of small mountains, which happened to be about the level of their intelligence. The security officer started to chuckle as well, mainly because he was nervous and had no idea what Arack said but didn't want to appear stupid. This concern was rendered moot as Arack's blade suddenly appeared in the guard's skull.

Arack tossed the corpse off his wrist blade and wiped the blood off on the unfortunate guard's uniform. When he was finished a Tempest casually incinerated the body with a blast from his rifle. Muttering something about 'Foolish trusting humans' Arack strode through the door, closely followed by the rest of his troops.

(scene shift)

The cheering fans behind them, the veteran Smasher's and the new Smasher's walked down a long, cool stone passage way that lead to who knew where. Rune had latched on to Mewtwo, and judging by the way they were talking, knew each other already. The rest of the new guys were scattered amongst the other Smashers and were either walking along in silence or chatting it up with various fighters. The two vampires were lagging behind and conversed quietly to themselves while Lendiseth took off a pair of gloves she had put on and pulled the hood of her jacket down. All of a sudden, Balsk's scaly head thrust itself in between the two and his eyes rolled about to look at each girl separately, as most reptiles can.

"Hello ladies." He started off, "I would be most pleased if you could tell me why we don't have two extra crispy vampire bacon bits lying on the ground back on the arena."

The two vampire's jumped back, startled, which resulted in them crashing into Balsk and sending them all tumbling to the ground. They had apparently forgotten that Balsk popped up from behind them. Balsk just lay back and laughed while the two pried themselves off of him.

"Ha ha ha!" He chuckled, "I guess that's what I get for startling you two." Balsk pulled himself to his feet, layed a hand on each shoulder and gently propelled them along. The two vampires casted amused glances at each other.

"We can walk on our own you know." said Arielle.

Balsk grinned, which showed at bit too many teeth, and replied "I know. But who could resist the urge to pal around with two lovely ladies. You gonna answer my question?"

Lendiseth got an uncomfortable look on her face when she heard that, "Uh...Aren't we a little too...mammalian for your tastes?"

"Do you want me to answer that?"

"Not really."

Balsk's grin just grew wider and toothier. Arielle rolled her eyes and reached under the collar of her shirt. She pulled out a small medallion that was half black and half white and looked like a yinyang symbol. Balsk looked at it in interest. He could feel the magic radiating off of it.

"This yinyang amulet negates the sun's effects on me. I'm still easily sunburned and my eyes are sensitive but the worst of my problem, namely the dying part, is no longer applicable while I wear this amulet." Said Arielle as she tucked the medallion back under her shirt and then pointed at a pair of sunglasses in her overcoat's pocket.

Balsk then turned his gaze on Lendiseth, who seemed a little creeped out by Balsk's continued grinning. She sighed and pointed at her ears, which had pointy tips.

"I'm actually not a full vampire. I'm half elf also. I basically have the same thing as Arielle does except that I'm also a bit weaker during the day." She explained.

Both Balsk and Arielle looked at her quizically and Arielle asked the question first.

"Half vampire? How can someone be only half vampire?"

Lendiseth looked troubled and annoyed by this question but decided she might as well answer it. "My mother was an elf and my father a vampire. Things were...difficult." Her cheeks grew flushed and she stopped talking. Balsk's grin vanished and he nodded sagely.

"Family problems. I have the same thing."

Lendiseth looked at him, "Both your parents dead?"

Balsk stared right into her eyes, "Both of them _want_ me dead."

He then pushed past the two girls and moved back into the main mass of people. Lendiseth and Arielle were left looking at each other in bewilderment at the draconian's strange behavior. Any further comments were prevented when the two collided with the rear ranks of the assembled Smashers. They had emerged into a large locker room with what looked to be a personal locker for everyone in attendance. Mario had climbed onto a bench to be seen but that didn't seem to work, given Mario's short height. DK solved this problem by lifting the plumber up onto his shoulder and turning to face everyone.

"Okay everyone. We are-a in the communal-a locker area. This is-a the place-a you will-a be a spending most of-a your time between-a fights. Through-a these-a doors is-a the housing area. Come on-a then." said Mario.

DK set the plumber down and opened the door. A short walk down a well-lit, steel gray corridor and another pair of doors lead into the housing area, dubbed Smasher Mansion. The mansion was a complex that was mostly underground and consisted of many dozens of rooms. A long and detailed tour of the premises followed. Only Mario, Zelda, and Marth accompanied the new Smashers this time. The others had returned to whatever they were doing before they needed to go out.

They were showed to the common room, which was the room that lead into the locker room, the training room, with the latest in holographic technologies, the cafeteria, which looked like any other cafeteria in exsistence, various other places, and the tour ended at the dorms. One door lead to the men's rooms, and the other to the women's rooms.

"None of you will be fighting today, so you can go too your rooms and rest or anything else you want, as long as it doesn't involve breaking, injuring, or killing something." said Link, only partly in jest.

Kane coughed and said in a stage whisper, "Damn, there goes my weekend."

A few people laughed half-heartedly. Rune, however snorted in disgust and made a bee line for the door. Yuki then raised her hand.

"Yes?" said Mario.

"Do we get any personal stuff? I mean, when we woke up there weren't any bags that held any stuff that we would normally bring on a trip." she asked.

Mario was about to reply when he abruptly shut his mouth and nodded to someone behind everyone. Suffice to say, everyone succeeded in turning around more or less simultaneously.

"I might be able to answer that question for you." said the tall, blue haired figure walking toward them. "I took the liberty of gathering such things at the same time we choose you. They should be waiting in your rooms."

"YOU!!!" shouted Balsk. Almost instantly, his large sword was clutched in his hands. Slywolf, Arielle, and Darkmagnus took an involuntary step backwards. Balsk's eyes were glowing a bright red and he was breathing heavily.

"Hello Balsk, nice to see you to." said the man. He made an arcane gesture with his hand and suddenly his appearance shifted. He went from a typical executive look, with his immaculate suit and slicked back hair-do, and changed to something more befit a traveler of sorts. He was now wearing an ankle length brown cloak with his hood back. Used looking blue jeans and a nondescript black shirt completed the outfit. He also had a sword sheath strapped to his waist and a gnarled staff in his left hand. His hair was also now spiky and stuck out at odd angles. He shook himself a bit and smiled widely, "I've always felt better like this. Doesn't help your complexion though." he said to Balsk.

The draconian was twitching visibly and was obviously holding himself back through sheer force of will.

"Khell." he growled, his voice full of promised violence and sheer menace."I thought it might be you that had done this. Where is it?"

"It is where it always has been, my friend. But you can have it if you win."

Balsk seemed to deflate with these words. He looked highly troubled by these words.

"Are you saying...that _anyone_ could win it?" he said. His sword drooped to the ground and an almost defeated look crossed his face.

Khell laughed, "No no, Balsk, you misunderstand me. You will get it if you win. They could get something else. What if Mario here wins? He could get lasting peace for Mushroom Kingdom. Or young Kane could learn where his sister is."

Kane staggered back as if someone had punched him, but otherwise said nothing.

"What I'm saying is that if you win, you will get anything you want that is within my power to give. And I can do many things, one gets quite a few contacts and debts owed when one is like me." said Khell with a quick glance at Kane.

The assembled fighters were stunned by this news. Anything they wanted! Thoughts from the self-sacrificing to the dastardly flashed across thirteen minds, Rune had come back at one point. Balsk sheathed his sword and glared at Khell. The human laughed lightly and strode away, leaving the others to converse quietly among themselves or think to themselves, as they preferred.

XXXXXXXXX(end)

Ok then. Uh...I really have no excuse for my not updating until now. I hope you can forgive me. The first fight will be next chapter, as will a couple of very late additions. Also, look forward to more Space Piratey goodness.


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